Painting from life can be defined as employing brushes and colors to translate a three-dimensional scene in front of the artist into a two-dimensional depiction that allows the viewer, regardless of where they are in time or space, to view it as though through the artist's eyes. Renowned Taiwanese painter Chen Cheng-po was passionate about painting from life. Most of his work was done on site and he left behind many photos of himself posing proudly in front of scenes he had rendered onto canvas. After Chen Cheng-po was killed during the 228 Incident, his wife, Chang Chieh, secreted away many of his belongings, including paintings, which can be viewed as a depiction of his passionate life cut so short and which preserve evidence of Taiwan's history, as well as cultural objects that bear witness to the times in which he lived.

This exhibition focuses on the core concept of “painting from life” attempts to employ cultural objects and the surrounding layout to represent Chang Chieh and Chen Cheng-po's four-dimensional story in a three-dimensional space. We are trying to reproduce the achievements of Chang Chieh and Chen Cheng-po and hope that visitors, each of whom brings with them their own set of life experiences, can perceive their innocence and vitality and appreciate the landscape they painted over the course of their lives.

1. Chapter on Life

Chen Cheng-po was an enthusiastic painter who dedicated himself to promoting art as well as a local celebrity with a keen interest in public a­ffairs. In 1947 in the wake of the 228 Incident, Chiayi saw a confrontation between the military and civilians temporarily took control of the city. On March 11, Chen Cheng-po and members of the local gentry engaged in peace talks with the military. He was detained at the Shuishang Airport and two weeks later, on the morning of March 25, was publicly murdered by gun‑re along with Dr. Pan Mu-chi and two others in front of the Chiayi train station.

From a self-portrait painted at the start of his career in art and papers in which he poured out his deep concern for family and society to testimonials of his death, such as the clothes he wore that day as well as photos and glass negatives of his remains, the items collected secretly by wife and shown here give us a sense of the weight of his life.

2. Upstairs’ Secret

Located at the intersection of Chiayi's Lanjing and Guohua Streets, Chen Cheng-po's home is a very shallow structure only 2.5 meters front to back with an area of roughly 40 meters. Items cherished by Chang Chieh, including all of Chen Cheng-po's paintings, photos, letters, documents, and painting gear, were stored in the 33-square meter attic space. They bear witness to memories from Chang Chieh's youth, to the trajectory that their family was on, and to Chen Cheng-po's passionate participation in the community.

Aer Chang Chieh passed in 1993, her son Cheng Chong-kuang took over the responsibility of protecting his father's things as they waited for the time when victims of the 228 Incident would win back their names. Unfortunately, as a result of being rolled up and stacked for many years, many of the paintings and other artifacts were damaged. In recent years, specialists have been working to restore them to their original glory. A number of other surprises have been discovered by individuals when tidying up the loft area and studying his work.

3. Super Collector Chang Chieh

Chen Cheng-po's wife, Chang Chieh, was not just “an art collector”; she also stored away items that hold memories of importance from the rest of her family. Her own dowry, fabrics, and embroidery as well as papers and everyday items belonging to close family members were found about the roof space. She collected things to which she attached a great deal of importance. Judging from the types and quantities of the items she gathered, it's not an exaggeration to refer to her as a “super collector.”

Born in 1899, Chang Chieh grew up in a period characterized by Chinese and Japanese thought co-existing side by side. This time marked the beginning of Taiwan's modern culture. Her collection reveals the growth of her as a woman and the changing landscape of her time.

4. Our Family

Over the course of their marriage, which lasted almost 30 years, Chang Chieh ran the household, while Chen Cheng-po handled external a­ffairs. Together, they strove to make art the center of their family. Whether studying abroad in Japan, working in Shanghai, or traveling about organizing painting activities, Chen Cheng-po would select postcards and write letters to his children and paint paintings for members of his family and their homes. When you see the realism and warmth emanating from his work and letters, you can sense the interaction, growth, and strong attachments between family members.

5. Street Artist

Chen Cheng-po was passionate about painting from life. The street was just like his work studio. From the painting gear collected by Chang Chieh over the years, you can imaged that Chen Cheng-po proceeding to a painting spot with his equipment, canvasses, and easel on his back. He even liked to ask passers-by what they thought of his work. His open-style of painting inspired many of the younger generation to take an interest in art.

In the photos and papers collected by Chang Chieh, you can see what Chen Cheng-po was like when he wasn't painting. He actively organized members of the art community to work to develop Taiwan culture as a whole. He also maintained a high degree of passion and concern for Taiwanese society. His run for Chiayi City council member after the war marked the start of his political career.

6. Left Behind by the World

There was once a family of art lovers who, through their e­fforts, quietly le a colorful landscape of their times behind. If our protagonists, Chang Chieh and Chen Cheng-po, had not been determined to preserve their legacy and had allowed these cultural objects and paintings, these testimonies to their lives, to be scattered and lost, we would never have known their story and would even be missing a crucial part of the story and history of Taiwan as a whole.

History is what remains after a person's desire to leave something behind for posterity runs into the cold, relentless wall of reality. What would you like to leave behind for your family, for yourself, and for the world?